Oceanus' Revenge, by Xavier Wong

“Who’s on lighthouse duty?” shouted Lawrence to his kids.

Long ago, Lawrence built the great lighthouse in memory of his grandfather, James Fathom. Many years later, Lawrence and his family had made Salence Cove their loving home. Lawrence would often tell his children myths about sea monsters that lurked near Salence Cove. These included the slumbering giant bear called Kolponomos, whose name means ‘Gulf-dweller’ and who slept in the caves, and the great giant squid Octavian, who would eat and destroy all ships that sailed into his waters.

Some of his kids would ask if that was why they never went on a boat near their home, but he would dismiss them and simply say that the weather was not always good. However, he knew that the kids might be right. After all, it was just a myth, right?

Still, Lawrence performed each of his lighthouse duties as though it were his last. Sometimes, being on lighthouse duty at night scared Lawrence because two or even three tentacles would flash beneath the light in the water. The old base of the light would often creak eerily. Sometimes, Lawrence thought he could hear the rumble of rocks in the caves below.

Once they had figured out what Lawrence had seen, Lawrence’s children fled the lighthouse in terror to search for a safer place to stay. The lighthouse stood tall and strong, like a soldier returning from a victorious war, until Finn Caledonian arrived in the cove. He boasted proudly that he could slay the treacherous creature. Finally, Lawrence’s family returned to the lighthouse. The Fathom family feasted and laughed until dusk, then slept peacefully — all but Finn, who stayed wide awake, awaiting the morning.

While everyone was asleep, Octavian, the colossal squid, crawled up the steep, jagged cliff. His suckers clung to the edge of the cliff like a magnet to metal. Finn tore across the cove, eager to stop the titanic deep-sea monster. He drew his shining Oceanic blade, ready for battle. Octavian simply ignored him and surged one of his elongated tentacles towards a now-destroyed house. He heaved out a limp body and shoved the human into his gigantic beak. Then, he reached for Finn, who was poised and ready.

Octavian unleashed a swirl of tentacles and water, blasting them at Finn. After a few minutes, Finn started to tire. His sword had already become heavy in his hands, and he knew that he couldn’t last much longer. With one last desperate swipe, Finn slashed at Octavian’s tentacles, his blade cutting through them like a hot knife through butter. Octavian roared in agony, thrashing and flailing like a thousand cracking whips in the air as he crashed back into the depths of the abyssal ocean.

Little did Finn know that Octavian’s dad, Oceanus, father of all fiends of the sea, had just watched one of his most forbidding scions of the deep be destroyed by a mere human. That would not sit well.

Now, Oceanus wanted to avenge his son…